Safety and Efficacy of Mesotherapy in the Treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia: A Systematic Review

Background and Objectives: The most common type of hair loss is androgenetic alopecia. Mesotherapy is considered a controversial treatment for this condition. The aim of this study was to examine the safety and efficacy of mesotherapy in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia. Methods: A systematic review was conducted to identify and evaluate relevant studies on mesotherapy for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia. The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched until November 2017. The grey literature and references of key studies were also scanned for additional citations. In addition, quality assessment of studies was conducted using the Jadad scale. Results: Five studies including 344 patients were considered eligible for the review. Of five studies included in this review, three were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and two were non-RCTs. In previous studies, mesotherapy was performed using dutasteride, minoxidil, and finasteride. As the analysis revealed, quality of retrieved studies was poor. The results showed that mesotherapy leads to the improvement of efficacy outcomes. However, in one study, mesotherapy was not shown to be effective regarding some outcomes. No significant adverse effects were reported for mesotherapy. Conclusions: Although the findings of previous studies suggest that mesotherapy is a safe and effective treatment for androgenetic alopecia, further research is needed to confirm this finding.